Drop-door-operating mechanism for cars.



. R. R. WEAVER. DROP DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CARS. APPLICATION man AUG.6. 1915;

1,170,130. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I: gill 1 i 3 :3] I 1 Ev T l H i g 51+ 3 a i E 1 i I g H 1 W 2 E- i m W1 WITNESSES [NVENTOR 2 Attorney THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 50.. WASHINGTON n c R. R. WEAVER.

DROP DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM FOR CARS.

APPLICAHQN FILED AUG.6, 1915.

1,170,130. Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- i W NESSES Y k "\t 7 JU LWW I I5 W/a MW THE ooLuMBlA PMNOGRAPH co.. WASHINGTON. D. c

Wrap srarss earns-r carton.

ROBERT E. WEAVER, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE RALS'ION STEEL CAR COMPANY, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

DROP-DOOR-OIEERATING MECHANISM FOR CARS.

Application filed August 6, 1815.

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to drop door operating mechanism for dumping cars of the typeshown in Patent No. 1,12%,188 granted to me on the fifth day of January 1915, one object of my present invention being to improve and simplify the operatingmechanism for drop doors and to so construct and ar range such simplified mechanism that it shall be disposed in a manner as to be operable at right angles to the line of motion of the car and thus reduce liability of being accidentally released by the longitudinal shocks due to sudden starting or stopping of the car.

A further object is to so construct the mechanism that a positive lock shall be provided for the door, without the use of pawl and ratchet means.

A further object is to construct the mechanism in such manner as to prevent shock or injury to the operator when the doors-drop with a quick movement after the load starts to carry the doors downwardly.

With these and other objects in view, the

invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying'drawings; Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of the lower part of a hopper bottom car (fragmentary portions of the hopper body being shown) illustrating an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 is a view on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 1 is a view on the line 44 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a separate view of one of the shafts 11., and Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views illustrating the clutch devices.

1, 1, represent the side sills and 2, 2, the draft sills of a car provided with a hopper body indicated at 3. Drop doors 4 are provided for the open bottom of the hopper body, and these doors are hinged at their upper Specification of Letters Patent.

of sleeves 25.

Patented Feb. 1, 1916.

Serial No. 44,018.

edges to brackets 5 secured to the hopper at the sides of the open bottom thereof, so that when released, said doors may swing toward the car sides. The doors are braced by means of bars 6 (which may be made in the form of I-beams) and these bars project beyond respective ends of the doors as indicated at 7 (as shown in Fig. 2') for a purpose hereinafter explained. T ie draft sills 2, 2 of each pair terminate adjacent to the hopper body and are spread apart as shown in Fig. 1 to accommodate parts of the door operating mechanism.

Near each end of the hopper body, brackets 89 are secured between the draft sills and are made with inclined bearings 9-10 in which the end portions of inclined or diagonally disposed shafts 11 are mounted. An intermediate part of each shaft 11 is made angular in cross section and bent to form an intermediate offset portion 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 5. To each shaft 11, at respective sides of the offset portion thereof, crank arms 13 are secured, and connected at their free ends by a wrist pin lt. Two blocks 15 are loosely mounted on each wrist pin 14, and the upper ends of pitmen 16 are connected with said blocks by means of pivot pins 17 disposed at right angles to the wrist pin. The lower ends of the pitman 16 of each pair are loosely connected with the respective doors by means of links 18-19, the latter being secured to the projecting portions 7 of the door bars 6.

A worm wheel 20 is mounted loosely on each inclined shaft 11 between bearing 10 and one of the crank arms 13. Transverse shafts .2l22 are mounted in suitable bearings 23 secured to the draft sills 2, and these shafts carry worms 2% to mesh with the worm wheels 20,said worms being properly spaced from the bearings 23 by means The transverse shaft 21 eX- tends through both side sills 1, while the shaft 22 may be made shorter and extends through one side sill only, and suitable bearing braces 26 are secured to the side sills for said transverse shafts. The two transverse shafts are provided with sprocket wheels 26 connected by a sprocket chain 26, so that when one of said shafts is operated, motion will be also imparted to the other, and th projecting ends of both transverse shafts are adapted for the reception of a suitable manually operable device.

Lost-motion or clutch devices are provided between each worm wheel and the adjacent crank arm 13', andeom risea lug.

27 on the hub portion'of the crank arm, movable in a segmentalrecess 28 1n the hub portion of the worm wheel and co' perable with the ends of a lug 29 which constitute tions', the pitmen will be disposed'in the offset portions 12 of the crank shafts 11,

and the connections of said'pitmenwithtlie' wrist'pins will be so disposed withrespect to the aXesof the crank shafts thata positive' lock to retain-the doors in closed positi on will be provided, and it is'appa'rent that the greater the load is upon" the doors, them'ore effectual will be thelocking action above described. hen the transverse shafts areturned, the cooperation of' the -c'lutch members will cause the crank shaftsto turn suiiiciently to overcome the locking action above described, whereupon the load will force the doors'open and during such open ing movement, the lugs 27 of the clutch devices carried by the crank arms,'will move freely through'the segmental recess 28 of the clutch members carried by the worm wheels,thus permitting the doors to drop forcibly without danger of'back-lash on the I gearing or injury or shockto the operator. Various changes might be made in the details of'construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters-Patent, is I 1. The combination witha' car and two drop doors therefor,'of an inclined crank shaft disposed approximately in line with the axis of the car, pitman connections between said crank shaft andeach 'of' said" 3. The combination with a car body and two drop doors therefor, of a centrally located inclined crank shaft, pitma'n connections betweensaid crank shaft and both of said-drop doors, a -worm-wheel loose on said shaft, lost-motion clutch devices between said wormwvheel and said crank shaft,- a transverse manually operable shaft, and'a worm carried by the transverse shaft and meshing with said worm wheel.

4:. The combination with-acar' body and twodrop doors therefor, of a centrally-locatechshaft, crankarms'rigid therewith,- a

work approximately in line with; theaXisof the-car, pit-manconnec'tions between sald crank shaft-and" the respective drop doors, said crankshaft'lrav'ing an offset portion to receive saidpitman connections and eifect a'lock for the'drop d'oors; and manually operab'lemeans for operatingsaid-shaft:

6. The combination with the framework,

a car"body and two'd'ropdoors for the car body, of-centrally' located inclined crank shafts neair respective ends of the body,- pit man connections'-betweeneach crank shaft and: the drop doors, gearing for operat ing both cran'l'r shafts, and" lost inotion clutch devices between said'g'ea'ring and'tlie crank shafts:

7. The combination with" the framework, :1 car 'b'ody andtwodrop doors therefor, of centrallylocat'ed "'inclinedshaft, crank arms rigid with'saidsliaft, a' wri's't'pin con nec'ting saidemale ar s; twoblock's'mounte'd on saidwrist-pin, pitmenloosely' connected with" the respeetivedoors; and pivot pins disposed atri'ght" anglesto said wrist pin and connecting the pitmen with the respec tive' blocks on the" wristpin; 1

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two su-b'scrib ing witnesses. v v

' I I ROBERT"R; WEAVER. Witnesses :f

J WEBER,- P. N. SINYDER'.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each; bya'ddrcssing the Com-nfissioner of Patents,- Washington, D. C. 

